British Pullman 2024

I always start by checking all trains on RTT detailed, to avoid any issues as you found yesterday.

And then I check which of the paths Clan Line is shown to use on the day, right up to the time I go out to see it. I think they are two Q down and two Q paths back. I've not studied the down paths but at a glance they look very similar.

But the two Q paths on the return do have a significant difference - one comes back via Ashford-Tonbridge-Orpington-Bickley Jctn (FL - 15.34 after an 8 minute pathing allowance at Petts Wood) - and up the fast from Bromley South to Victoria (16.11). That was used yesterday.

There is also a return path, that I think is also for Clan Line (John B may be able to confirm) that comes back via Ashford-Maidstone East-Swanley-Bickley Jctn (SL - 15.27)- Catford Loop to Victoria (16.09).

Of interest to me yesterday was that the 8 minutes pathing allowance at Petts Wood was not used, meaning that Clan Line was at Bickley Junction at 15.25 (almost the time of the second path), which, whilst it didn't cross to the up slow, left me wondering if it would cross over at Shortlands Junction to use the Catford Loop path of the second up Q pathway.

I hope that helps, the message I guess is to start an expected 'Clan Line in Kent' day by checking all trains on RTT detailed, and for those who have smart phones (almost everyone except me - I have enormous difficulty using touch screens!), keep an eye on RTT during the day.

Bryan B

 

Excuse my ignorance, but where were each of the photos taken? I imagine the lower one is Chislehurst Junction but uncertain.

 

The first one was taken at Teynham Station.

The second was Bickley Junction. Even though I do sometimes use the name Chislehurst Jctn for it - according to RTT adjoining junctions are Petts Wood Junction and St Mary Cray Junctions.

 

The trains you are looking for are 1Y92 and 1Y94.
Both are "Q" schedules, run as required. Achieving WTT status gives British Belmond Pullman and MNLPS operational certainty, similar to any other WTT service. ( It means that Bloggs Railtours or Fly by Night aggregate haulage can't use the path without agreement from DB Cargo and Network Rail.). 1Y92 and 1Y94 will show up as "VAR" when the "Q" is overridden on a given date.
Trains normally appear as "VAR" when diverted for engineering works or commercial requests.

It's not possible to show a short term (STP) schedule as VAR, because there isn't a WTT version to alter! Even if altered it will still remain as an STP schedule. The world of schedule amendment becomes murkier at less than 2 days before operation. VSTP (Very Short Term Plan) schedules are input in control offices either by controllers or VSTP input staff. They can be a copy of a WTT or STP schedule or worked out on the back of a Weekly Special Notice.

Cheers, Neil

 

A few days late, but my shot of 35028 passing through Brixton on Thursday:

 

Very nice, and welcome to the forum.

 

Thank you very much, I appreciate the welcome too

 

Two photos of Thursday's outing.


Speeding towards Teynham, between Sittingbourne and Faversham.


On the coast at Capel Le Ferne footbridge, unfortunately checked by a p-way slack between here and the tunnel into Folkestone.

 

There is a TSR along the Warren between Archcliffe and Martello tunnels due to ground conditions. The whole of the Warren is moving again and is fitted with a monitoring sensors. For those who take notice of such things, it is a rotational slip like Hatfield colliery or Winchfield over the last few years. Hopefully with some dry weather it will stabilise again.
It's not the first time - https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/the-great-fall-historic-landslip-images-resurface/
At some point the Southern Railway were considering closing the line between Folkestone East and Dover Town Yard and a spur line was built between the two routes at Canterbury. ( It's still in use for power supply cables.)

Cheers, Neil

 

Shame the spur was not in the other direction from the Ashford/Ramsgate line to the Faversham/Dover line Eastbound, would have been more useful for Dover traffic if the Warren gets worse.